Sleep strategies

[untonuggan]

For the past few weeks, I've been waking up at 3 am like clockwork with restless leg syndrome. It's not great for my mental health, either. I've tried a variety of strategies ranging from tossing and turning to getting up and knitting to cleaning all the things. (Note: cleaning all the things wakes you up even more.)

Last night I tried something new. For one thing, just getting up once can help sort of "reset" the restlessness of my legs. So I got up and sort of "reset" my bed as well. I used some pillows to prop myself into a yogic relaxation pose (this one also works); dabbed some lavendar essential oil over my temples to help with relaxation; put an eye pillow over my eyes because I find that soothing; covered myself with a blanket; and tried to focus on taking deep breaths. I find that when I'm stressed (like with the wiggly leg syndrome) I tend to take shallow breaths. 

I fell asleep and stayed that way for another six hours. Huzzah! I'm going to try this first thing tonight, because obviously the Ambien isn't working.

Comments

[synecdochic]

This is going to sound crazy, but: try putting an unwrapped bar of Ivory soap underneath your fitted sheet, near the foot of your bed. It really does help!

[untonuggan]

That does sound crazy, but perhaps I will give it a try!